Hannah, her nephew, and I drove to Indy and biked 15 miles RT to see the now open 100 Acres today. Previously, Amelia gave me a sneak peak in the spring before it was completely finished. I was still left with the impression that MORE ART needs to be installed but it is a good start. Jeppe Hein's Benches Around the Lake with Hannah and Jonas:
Nancy Holt's influence found it's way into the park. From the IMA's website, Type A's Team Building (Align): "is constructed of two 30 foot-wide metal rings suspended from telephones poles and trees, oriented so that their shadows become one during the annual summer solstice." This was the most impressive work because the poles are disguised so well when you initially walk toward the sculpture, it really does give the illusion that they are hovering. 
Kendall Buster's Stratum Pier was an ideal viewpoint. We saw a tiny turtle attempting to avoid the two fishermen on the shore.
Andrea Zittel's igloo was afloat. We observed, as Hannah said, as if we were watching animals in a zoo, wondering if this summer island residents, Jessica Dunn and Michael Runge would make an appearance. They did, along with two others - they hopped into a row boat and circled the island and that was all we saw. The blog Give and Take documents their residence on the island for the summer and also explains a little of what Hannah, Jonas, and I saw them doing. Of most interest is their routine rowing around the lake to pick up messages floating in the water. I also enjoyed seeing what the interior space looks like as seen here.
Alfredo Jaar's Park of Laments is a square within a square once emerging on the other side of the tunnel. Jaar describes the work as "a place for lamentation and purging the global atrocities of the 20th and 21st centuries." That is a STRETCH as far as I am concerned. The weather was bordering on oppressive after a bike ride and standing, sitting, meditating in the grassy and shadeless interior, let alone of atrocities, was the last thing on my mind. 
Hannah photographing Tea Mäkipää's Eden II (the penalties of an iphone camera = no zoom which also equates to wishing I could get a little closer to the sculpture than the environment provided). 
Overall it was a great experience and I loved the fact that we just rode our bikes right into the middle of the park. I'm looking forward to seeing more additions in the future.
I recently checked out this book on interlibrary loan. First of all I cannot believe Boston College doesn't keep it in their Special Collections because it is an amazing book full of loose images. Secondly, I am enamored with this photograph labeled "Untitled (Die "Nachtwache" Im Petis Palais, Paris"), 1971. It predates Thomas Struth and gives the impression of a photograph fifty years older due to the faded quality. I have always loved his use of alternative processes, hallucinogens and all.
When I return from a cake float, the postcards take over my life (generally two full days per image). Since many people have asked how I print them, I thought I would spend a couple posts detailing their evolution.As mentioned previously, I've always wanted to do a Mail Art project but never dedicated myself to it. I used to assign it to my classes at Oregon State and Washington State University Vancouver. One of the most unique projects I received was one student sent her boyfriend to my house collaged in letters as "male art." I also received plates of cookies, mailboxes, shovels, and ransom notes. The mailman's expression each day leading up to the due date of the assignment was priceless.James Luckett's involvement in the Postcard Collective has been an impetus. Since moving to Indiana, he continually sends me cards whether or not they are found (below) or made. This one resided on my refrigerator for weeks (he is the only reason why the Twitter account is still functioning most likely due to this note):
Sara Shoemaker Lind, a photographer I met during my residency at UCross in 2007, has sent me some unusual things over the past couple years that always inspire me to be a little more creative with snail mail. Here's a paper bag I received from her last September (little did she know that I have saved all the paper bags I've used for my lunches since 2002 and am formulating a series around them so it was especially meaningful):
When I was in Tucson, I wanted to meet Camden Hardy who is responsible for the Postcard Collective. He handed me the entries from the first round and I was able to see many variations on the handmade vs. commercial printing. Even though I had created my first card at that time (not too happy with the print quality and backing), it reaffirmed my belief that I had to print them myself. With each card, the backs become more important and I often incorporate photo shoots (underwater cameras, cake decorating ladies at Marsh, etc.) to acquire images just for this purpose. I put a call out on the blog for anyone who wanted one to let me know and thus began my address list. Of course, I added some people that I thought might want to receive them and knowing that this was going to be expensive and time consuming, I kept my number to 35 though I make 40 each round.All the responses I receive via text and email are documented. In fact, there is a separate part of this project that won't make an appearance until the very end involving the extensive "Documentation" - the objects, the commentary, the expenses, the postcards, what people start to send me in response, and so on. I love the element of chance when sending them in the mail. So many are ripped but I've noticed that several people's are torn in the same place from the same mailing. Over half way through, I really wish there were more postcard stamp options because the polar bear is getting a little repetitive. I wanted to send one from Canada just for a visual change and oddly enough, when I received mine at the post office today, there wasn't one postmark to be found! For some cards, I have a specific idea right away but for others, I agonize over the process. The one I am making today belongs in the latter category. After a brainstorming with Hannah last night, she gave me an idea which will be the focus for the back of the next card. Again, I am using James as an example. This is his entry for the first Postcard Collective exchange: 
The postcard backs so far have commented on the method of cake decoration (Barton Springs), the statistics to make that particular photograph happen (Tucson, AZ), maps outlining the exact locale (Louisville, KY), the style of some postcards that incorporate a low opacity image as background (Niagara Falls), and a vintage card back with the number of the cake float and the discrepancy in today's cost of mailing a card vs. way back when this one was printed (Lake George, NY). The next card will incorporate a universal note in ode to one of the artists that inspired this project... (much like James's discussion of seeing Marcel Duchamp's Etant Donné in his card above).
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I haven't separated myself from my new phone yet today. The new camera is quite adequate although this is a slightly pixelated representation. Thank you Li for the early birthday present! These are my new salt and pepper shakers to replace the kitten decapitated Martian women that I've had for far too long. Fake desserts and Jacinda are officially synonymous.Working on the next round of postcards this weekend. Only two more fake cake floats to go!
After two hours of standing in line at the Apple store, the problem is solved! (it even has a flash**)! Thanks to Hannah for taking the photograph and patiently waiting for me and missing our first choice movie (second choice = Inception).
Oh la la! The Sooke Potholes! I read about this location a month ago and it did not disappoint. One would think that after driving around Indiana for half the summer, I would tire of these "formations" but that wasn't the case. From the website:"Sooke Potholes Provincial Park provides access to the series of deep, polished rock pools and potholes carved naturally into the bedrock of the Sooke River... Glacial action during the last ice age 15,000 years ago is responsible for the formations, as the moving, melting ice packs stripped the surface area and carved a path deep into the natural bedrock. Huge boulders carried along by the rushing river became lodged, were swirled against the canyon walls and consequently carved out the potholes that can be seen today."
The website also emphasized how "beautifully clean and clear" the water is and it beat Lake George in this category. Donna and I walked 15 minutes down into the gorge and scrambled over a few rocks to get to the Sooke River. The first area was a complete failure due to the direction of the wind blowing, pushing the cake up river toward me. It was impossible to get the right angle but here's a photograph of that clean and clear water that I am enamored with.
The second location was perfect: a swirling pool just before the water shot down a small gorge. The cakes didn't move that much (and to complicate matters this featured two parts).
Also... leave it to me to use a nearly white top cake with the darkest background. All of this has become a lesson in averaging exposures.
The set-up from above:
We ended the day by inadvertently driving all the way to Port Renfrew trying to discover where the Pacific Ocean begins and the Strait of Juan de Fuca ends. Although this is the inlet, it is the "end of the road" - a very windy, curvy, carsick inducing road at that. Next up... Tofino and the Pacific Ocean.
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